Gondola car.



.L M. HANSEN.

GONDDLA GAE.

APPLIUATION FILED APn.27,191o.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

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NVENTOR.

WITNESSES.

J. M. HANSEN.

GONDGLA GAR. APPLIGATIOIJ FILED APB.27, 1910.

1,008,462... l Patented Nov. 14,1911.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. HANSEN, 0F lPITTSBURGI-I, PENNSYLVANIA.

GoNDoLA can.

of the general gondola type in which the door closing mechanism is exposed on the outside lof the car body vgiving free access thereto while such .mechanism is fully.pro tected from injury such as by side contact with other cars; and another object is to Vprovide a car having plate girder sides` with such exposed pocket for the door operating mechanism` -In the most approved combined freight and dump cars the door operating mechas nism has been located below the level of-the car floor and enerally placed under the bottom chord cfg the plate girder side, which 'was made of an angle extending inwardly from the side plate.

Such construction required the separate extra angle or member,

' the sulfur contained in the coal.

andfwhere these cars were used for coal transportation, it left a ledge on which the coal rested and which was not always kept clean, and the angle was often eaten into by There was also the other fact that the apparatus did not give as direct or vertical a pull on the closing mechanism of the door as desirable.

The present invention overcomes these difficulties and provides a very simple car construction suitable for use in this particular type of car.

lIt contemplates, generally stated, a gondola car body provided with fa pocket for the door' operating mechanism exposed on the outside of the' car side to give access thereto and within the side stakes or stiffeners so las to be protected thereby.V

It also conter'nplates such a gondola car provided with a plate girder side having an inwardly extending bottom chord in the V body of the side 1Lplate, in combination with side stakes or sti xners extending across the samegso forming the exposed pocket to re ceive `the shaft for the door operating mechanism of the car.

It also consists in certain other improvements hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led April 27, 1910.

plate.

plate 8 above the pocket 6 and extends across Patented Nov. 14, 1911. Serial No. 558,032- v is a side view of the car embodying the in vention; Fig. 2 is a top or plan vlew of a portion of the car partly broken away to illustrate the same; Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view; Figs 4 and 5 are enlarged views of dierent forms of door operating mechanism located within the pocket; and' Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged i cross sections illustratin different construcl tions of car body embo ying the invention.

The car embodying the invention has any suitable form of underfra me, such for example as the center sills l and bolsters 2 and cross beams ,3, and is of course provided withl any suitable endwall 4. The car is provided with any suitable sides 5 and has the spacesor pockets 6 exposed on the ou'tside ofthe car sides for the reception of the door operating mechanism, such pockets being within the side stakes or stitfeners 7 which thus fully protect the door operating mechanism from injury from side blows,I

while giving free access thereto.

In the preferred form tl le car is provided with plate girder Sides as shown, each such side having the side plates .8 andthe top chord 9 preferably formed of an angle, and

clined portion l1 and the lower outwardly and d ownwardl inclined Vportion 12,'formingr the expose be ow whichV the plate is oent downwardly to form the vertical porticn 13 Aon the same of theV side vertical plane as the main ,bod

to the side The stake 7 is 1ri vete that pocket and is riveted to thevertical base portion 13 of the side plate, being -at the same time riveted to the )olster 2 or cross diaphragm 3, therivetpa: ising through the flange 15 thereof and als'o lhrough the verti' cal. base portion 13 of the Vplate and the bottom portion of the 4side stake as at 16. In the construction of tie car where an entire metal underframes used thei lower.

pocket 6 of the c'ar side, f

inclined por-.ion 12 of the side plate is also riveted to the flange 14 of the' bolster or cross beam as at 17, so forming a strong coni necticn between the underframe and the car sides. The car flooris preferably divided into a series of pockets 18 by means o the bolsters and cross beams, and the cross plates 19 of the underframe extend above the same and may be'carried up' onto the upper inclined portion 11 of the side plate and riveted thereto as at 20. In such dump cars any suitable construction of door and of door op- `erating mechanism may be employed, the car illustrated having a metal door 21 hinged to the center sill as at 22 and provided with downwardly extending flanges, the side flanges being generally bent to vertical positi'on as at 23, while the outerend flange 24 is bent to an incline corresponding vto the .downwardly inclinedportion 12 of the side plate and fits closely against the same. In the. pocket 6 is located a suitable door operating shaft 25 which can be .mounted therein in any suitable way, such as by the brackets .26, the shaft extending for any suitable distance within the pocket. For example in the car illust-ratedthe shaft extends through the bolster as the car has its dump doors located only between the bolsters, and in such case the pocket where it extends beyond the bolster forms a proper place for ,the reception of the operating mechanism for rthe shaft, as illustrated at 27 in Fig. 1. The shaft as thus located in the pocket 6 is fully exposed, givin easy access for adjustment of the chains, or repairs .or the like, while it'is within the line of the side plate and fully protected by theside stakes and therefore is not liable to injury from side swipes or the like. At the ing or car entirely ,self-clearing and preventing same time the downwardly inclined wall or portion 11 ofthe side plate provides an inclined face for .the delivery of the coal or other bulk commodity directly to the openpocket, making that portion of the such lodgment as would lead to rusting of the metal such as by the sulfur of the coal.

While any suitable kind of door operating mechanism may be employed I have illustrated chains for lifting the doors, these chains being connected to the operating shafts and to lthe outer edges of the doors and suitable openings 30, being made in the lower inclined plates 11 through which the chains' i can pass from the Ldoors to the winding 'l vchord and the winding shafts can be placed shaft. In this way the doors can be drawn the chains lup 'against the said lower inb clsined portion 12 of the V-shaped bottom above the floor level and the hold on the doors as they 'are brought to closing position can be made much more direct. For example, as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, the doors are provided with suitable hooks 31 engaging with sup-ports 32 on the ear bodyto hold the doors closed, the hooks 31 being pivotally secured to the brackets 33 on the car doors, and the chains 35 connected to thechain shafts 25 being secured to lugs 34 on the hooks, the shafts carrying theknockers'V .86 by which the hooks 31 are drawn from the connection with the lugs to permit the lowering of the doors. Such construction forms the subject matter of a sepaiate ap licationof even date herewith, Serial o. 558,031. In such case, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the su port 32 forms part of In Fig. 5' another form of car door oper-V ating mechanism is illustrated which formsl the subject matter of an application of even date herewith, Serial No. 558,030, in which the chain shaft 40 has the chain 41 secured thereto and engaging with a yielding bolt 42 mounted within a spring 43, while to lock the door the bar 44 is mounted on the door on the swinging joint 45, and the shaft 40 carries the hook or cam 46 which engages with the bar 44 and so holds the door in closed position, the bar 44 as illustrated carryin a T-head 47 passing within the slot 48 an engaging the inner inclined or cam face 49 of the cam 46. In both of said figures, as will be seen, the door operating mechanism is inclosed within the' pocket 6 formed by the V-shaped bottom chord of the plate -girder side which gives full protection to the same while permitting. easy access thereto, as above described.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have illustrated the invention in other forms. In Fig. 6 it will be seen that the pocket is formed bybending the side .plate 50 first at a downward incline as at 51, and then horizontally as at 5 2, and thence downwardly parallel to the main body of the plate as at 53, ,and riveted to the cross member 54 and stifener 5,5. In this case the flat upper surface of the door 56' fits against the bottom of the horizontal portion 52 of the pocket, and the hook 57 engages with a support 58 upon said horizontal portion 52: The shaft 59 is located within the pocket, and, as is clearly shown,

directly upward. In Fig'. 7 I have illustrated the ocket as formed of a .separate plate extension from the side plate. In such vcase the side plate 60 terminates at the top of the pocket and a separate plate 61 forms the bottomv chord of the plate girderside, having the downwardly inclined portion 62, the horizontal base portion 63 and the vertical portion 64 extending below the same in line withthe sidev plate 60. 'The side plate 60 and the bottom. chord 61 forming the pocket 65 are riveted to the stakes 66 and the bottom portion 64 of the chord plate is riveted to the base-of the stiifener ahd also to the ange of the bolster or cross beam 67. These gures are further illustrative of the draft on the chain in closing .the door is I y the invention as to the different forms which it may take7 the shape of the pocket and the manner of constructing the same being varied as found desirable, but in any 5 form having the advantage of protecting the operating mechanism from direct contact with the load and yetgiving free access to the same for adjustment or repair, while such mechanism is fully protected from injury by side blows on the car by means of the stakes or stieners of the car side.

In the car, as so constructed, I am thus enabled by providing the plate girder side Vwith the V-shaped chord bent in the body of the' side plate or riveted thereto and forming practically part thereof,. to form the bottom chord member of the side plate girder side, and in addition to providing the pocket for the reception of the door operat- G ing mechanism, I provide a bottom chord of great strength through the walls and 11 and the stakes 8 extending across the pocket, largely increasing the stiffness of the car body and its power to sustain load. I

f5 also am enabled in cars ot' this particular type to carry the actual union or joint between the car sides and the cross members, such as the holsters 2 and cross bearers 3, down to the bottom of said cross members,

forming a much stronger connection `than where an ordinary angle is used for the base chord of the plate girder side, while giving all the advantages above referredv to and providing the exposed pocket for the operating shaft.

What I claim is:

1. In a car, the combination if an nndery frame having cross members and va plate girder side having a V-shaped bottom chord extending inwardly from the side plate and' said vertical portion below the :hord and to the stil'ening members of the plate girder.

In testimony whereof, I the said JOHN hereunto set my hand.

M. HANSEN have A JOI-IN M. l-IANSEN. Vitnesses ROBERT C. TorrfeN,

JOHN F.'W1LL. 

